Getting started with Audacity 1.3

Create your own podcasts, edit music, and more with this open source audio editor

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Book Details

ISBN 139781847197641

Paperback220 pages

About This Book

Teaches basic techniques for using Audacity to record and edit audio tracks - like podcasts and interviews

Combines learning to use software program with the simple theories behind digital audio and common audio terms

Provides advanced editing techniques and tips for using Audacity beyond a first project

Uses a task based, step-by-step approach to guide newcomers into the world of audio editing

Who This Book Is For

If you are new to audio recording and editing, and particularly using the Audacity software, this book is for you. It explains everything from common audio industry terms and software basics. Technical sound engineering details and jargon are omitted to keep the book friendly and easy to understand.

Create MP3 Podcasts from your saved projects and then prepare the file and upload it to personal websites or iTunes

Learn more about advanced editing techniques like fading in and out, click removal, timeshifting, using multiple audio tracks, overdubbing, mixing and more

Add background music to projects as well as import music from CDs, cassette tapes, and vinyl records

Use all the audio effects pre-installed with Audacity like echo, amplify, bass boost, and normalize

Install and use Audacity plugins like Nyquist, LADSPA, and VST effects

Common terms used audio recording and editing as the book has a complete Glossary

All toolbar, menu, and keyboard shortcuts used in the software

In Detail

Using the Audacity software as the starting off point, we discuss what the software is, what it can do, how you can use it, and where you go to get started installing it. All of this information is grounded in some basic audio editing terminology and background for those that aren't so technology inclined.

Then we'll start digging into a sample project! You'll learn about how to set up a project, create a voice track, record an interview with Skype, and basic audio editing techniques. All of this done in an easy to follow, task based approach with lots of examples. Here, we plan to go a step further, we teach how to wrap all of these steps together and create a podcast that can be posted on your own website or blog.

There's always more you can do with Audacity! The last portion of the book is dedicated to just that - discussing more advanced editing and mixing techniques, using affects, adding music, adding additional plug-ins to the software. All still incorporating examples and easy to follow tasks you can try on your own audio projects.

Authors

Bethany Hiitola

Bethany Hiitola is a working writer and technology geek. With a degree in Scientific and Technical Communications, she's worked as a technical writer and multimedia developer for over 12 years—she spends the rest of her time as a wife, mother, gadget geek, and Master of the Household. She's written more user manuals than she can count, essays, novels, and a few technical books—including Inkscape 0.48 Essentials for Web Designers. More details are at her website: bethanyhiitola.com

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Series & Level

We understand your time is important. Uniquely amongst the major publishers, we seek to develop and publish the broadest range of learning and information products on each technology. Every Packt product delivers a specific learning pathway, broadly defined by the Series type. This structured approach enables you to select the pathway which best suits your knowledge level, learning style and task objectives.

Learning

As a new user, these step-by-step tutorial guides will give you all the practical skills necessary to become competent and efficient.

Beginner's Guide

Friendly, informal tutorials that provide a practical introduction using examples, activities, and challenges.

Essentials

Fast paced, concentrated introductions showing the quickest way to put the tool to work in the real world.

Cookbook

A collection of practical self-contained recipes that all users of the technology will find useful for building more powerful and reliable systems.

Blueprints

Guides you through the most common types of project you'll encounter, giving you end-to-end guidance on how to build your specific solution quickly and reliably.

Mastering

Take your skills to the next level with advanced tutorials that will give you confidence to master the tool's most powerful features.

Starting

Accessible to readers adopting the topic, these titles get you into the tool or technology so that you can become an effective user.

Progressing

Building on core skills you already have, these titles share solutions and expertise so you become a highly productive power user.